ANAMBRA State Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs, Indigenous Artwork, Culture and Tourism, Dr Sally Mbanefo, has emerged as the only Nigerian recipient of the African Women of Excellence Award.
In a letter of award signed by Dufie Boakye, African Union Diaspora Africa Forum, AUDAF, Dr Mbanefo emerged after a thorough sieving of Nigerian women who are not only committed to excellence at their duty post, but have through the years been consistent at humanitarian services and made immeasurable phenomenal impact in the society by their selfless service to humanity.
She revealed: “We have observed that Dr Mbanefo has consistently in the last 12 years been able to support numerous orphanages and cater for those in acute wretchedness and hopeless poverty.
“Her impact on the society has not only been tremendous and worthy, but she has continued to ensure the sustenance of this good deed. Hence, AUDAF is highly delighted at picking this Northern Star as the winner of the 2018 African Women of Excellence Award”.
According to the letter, the ceremony will take place at Michelangelo Hotel, Johannesburg, South Africa between Saturday 29, 2018 and September 30, 2018.
Dr Mbanefo who was a former Director-General, Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), has been recorded as a thoroughbred humanist and a tourism manager par excellence who was the first Director-General of NTDC that visited 27 states in Nigeria preaching domestic tourism.
A Lawyer by profession who employed her legal knowledge to sharpen her banking job where she soared and established herself as a first-grade corporate banker and later as the first female Secretary of Portland Cement.
If the performance of Dr Mbanefo at NTDC was awesome, her selfless philanthropic gestures for the poor and the needy is legendary having the credit of supporting over 24 orphanages in Nigeria for the past 12 years without relenting on her obligation to the centres.
These and other noble virtues of Dr Mbanefo actuated The AU/DAF which is the first African Diaspora diplomatic mission of its kind in the world to pick her out of several Nigerians women achiever as the sole recipient of the prestigious 2018 WOE Award of AU / DAF.
The African Union/Diaspora African Forum Mission and the Diaspora African Forum Foundation share a history and are the culmination of a number of events, including a decision in 2001 by the African Union (then called the OAU) to develop strategies for utilising the scientific and technological know-how and skills of Africans in the Diaspora for the development of Africa.
